Dragon of Moonfire
by GriffinFire
Summary: King Thranduil's bodyguard is sent to keep Legolas out of trouble at the Council of Elrond. When Legolas is chosen as part of the Fellowship, Drake must follow him to fulfill her promise to Thranduil.
1. Little Elf

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own LotR. It belongs to Tolkien, not me. I own Drake, and nothing else.  
  
So now, without further ado.  
  
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Dragon of Moonfire  
Prologue - Little Elf  
  
The dragon looked down at the tiny figure seated at the base of the mountain. It seemed to be a young human, huddled against the cold wind, but the dragon couldn't be sure.  
  
He spread his wings and leapt from the mountain peak, gliding toward the ground. The figure looked up, shrieked, and buried its face in its arms.  
  
As the winged beast landed, the child shivered and curled up tighter. The dragon sniffed at it curiously.  
  
"An Elf!" he thought. Then he spoke: "Don't worry, little Elf. I won't hurt you."  
  
The child looked up, revealing a delicate face and pointed ears almost hidden by golden-brown hair.  
  
"You are an Elf, then," muttered the dragon. "A she-Elf! Can you talk?"  
  
"Of course I can!" the little Elf said indignantly. "But I'm lost!" she cried, her green-gold eyes filling with tears. "I don't know where I am, how I got here, or which way home is!"  
  
"Do you know what the name of your home is?" the dragon asked, concerned. Elves usually annoyed him, but this one seemed different, somehow. "I you do, I can take you there." He'd been all over Middle-Earth in his lifetime, and knew it quite well.  
  
"I do!" exclaimed the Elf, leaping to her feet. "I live in Mirkwood, near King Thranduil's palace. Do you know where that is?"  
  
"I don't know where the palace is, but I can take you to Mirkwood, and you can show me where King Thranduil dwells."  
  
"Oh, good!" laughed the little Elf, clapping her hands. Then her eyes grew round. "Are we going to fly there?"  
  
"Yes," replied the dragon, smiling as the child jumped for joy. "We can go now."  
  
"Hooray!" shrieked the Elf, this time in happiness instead of fear.  
  
The dragon crouched, and the little Elf scrambled up his wing. She settled between two of the spines on the scaly back, and clutched another to keep herself on.  
  
"Are you ready to fly?" asked the dragon, turning his head back to look at his small passenger. She nodded enthusiastically, too excited for words. "Then hold on tight - I don't want to lose you - and off we go!" The dragon spread his mighty wings once more and began to beat them up and down. The Elf grasped the spine even tighter as the dragon rose from the ground.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Less than an hour later, Mirkwood Forest stretched out beneath the two companions like a many-shaded quilt of green. The little Elf looked about between wingbeats, trying to catch a glimpse of her home.  
  
"There!" she shouted, pointing past the dragon's head toward a rocky structure protruding from the canopy.  
  
The dragon swept down into the forest a little way off from the rocky structure. "Don't need to alarm the Elves," he explained.  
  
When they landed, the Elf slid down the dragon's wing and onto the ground, laughing.  
  
"Before you go," rumbled the dragon, "take this." He pulled a necklace from where it was lodged in his belly scales and handed it to the child. The pendant was in the shape of a serpent-dragon, fashioned of silver and gold, with a shining black eye and enameled green spines. "Keep it as proof that not all dragons are as despicable as they are said to be."  
  
"Hanno le, mellonamin," replied the Elf, taking the necklace and hugging the dragon around the neck. "Thank you, my friend. For everything." She kissed him on the nose, and then turned to leave.  
  
"Wait!" cried the dragon, recovering from the shock of being hugged and kissed, and by an Elf! "I don't know your name."  
  
"I'm Drake!" the Elf called back. "Who are you?"  
  
"Smaug."  
  
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A/N: Yes, I believe that Smaug is a very misunderstood character with a kind, caring soul behind the scaly exterior. If you want my explanation for the whole Lonely Mountain incident, tell me.  
  
Please review! I want to know if you like this or not! *gets down on knees* I'm begging you - please review! 


	2. Journey to Imladris

Disclaimer: You know I don't own LotR, so don't sue me. I only own Drake, Celeb'loki, and maybe a few other characters that come up.  
  
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Chapter I - Journey to Imladris  
  
Dracoriel Ithilnor stood beside King Thranduil, watching the King's son, Legolas, depart. Legolas and his companions were traveling to Rivendell, to represent the Elves of Mirkwood at the Council of Elrond.  
  
Dracoriel wasn't especially fond of Legolas - he was reckless, always getting into trouble, and, in her opinion, not much of a fighter. He preferred to use a bow and arrows, keeping away from the real fighting. But he was the prince, so she'd never expressed her views. Dracoriel was only a bodyguard, and her job was to protect King Thranduil, not to criticize his son.  
  
"Drake?" Thranduil muttered, using Dracoriel's nickname.  
  
"Yes, my lord?"  
  
"I want you to go with Legolas."  
  
Drake looked at the Elven king of Mirkwood, puzzled. "But you need me here, my lord. I swore to protect you, and I plan to do so. There are enough Elven representatives going to the Council."  
  
King Thranduil chuckled. "I don't mean for you to go to the Council, Drake. I want you to follow Legolas, and keep him out of trouble."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Take your horse. Keep Legolas and his companions in sight, but stay far enough back that they don't notice you. If they are attacked, only interfere if their lives are in danger."  
  
"Yes, my lord," replied Drake, and she turned to leave.  
  
"One more thing, Drake," called Thranduil over his shoulder.  
  
"Yes, my lord?"  
  
"Stop calling me 'my lord.'"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
After checking her supply of lembas one last time, Drake swung her pack onto her back and leapt onto the back of her grey horse, Celeb'loki. Loki nickered softly, and set off at a trot.  
  
"Wait!" laughed Drake. The horse halted, and turned at her command. "Now you can go," she said, smiling at the horse's eagerness. Loki again started forward.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Drake rode at a gallop for a full hour before spotting the prince's company. They were riding swiftly. Drake smiled wryly, amusing herself with the thought that they were eager for the comforts of Rivendell.  
  
But then she saw the Wargs.  
  
Drake looked again toward the Elves. They weren't shooting at the Wargs, much to Drake's disgust, and the monsters were gaining on them.  
  
She would have preferred to use her sword, but she also preferred to stay out of sight, so Drake drew an arrow from the quiver at her side and fitted to her own bow.  
  
When she was within shooting distance, she took aim at the Warg that was snapping at Legolas's leg, ignoring the Elf prince's attempts to fend it off by beating it about the head with his bow, having run out of arrows.  
  
Drake loosed the arrow. It went wide, grazing the Warg's ear and almost hit Legolas. Drake gritted her teeth and fired again. This arrow swooped down on the wolf and imbedded itself behind the monster's ear.  
  
Legolas stared, startled, as the Warg fell dead.  
  
As Drake loosed another arrow, killing another Warg, the other Elves finally came to their senses and began shooting at the giant wolves themselves. Legolas remembered his two white knives, drew them out with much unnecessary flashy twirling, and began stabbing at a Warg.  
  
Soon all the monsters lay dead, and the Elves began to search for their rescuer. They saw Drake and called to her, but she turned Loki around and trotted back the way she had come. The other Elves gave up and continued on.  
  
When Legolas's company had gone on their way, Drake turned Loki again and followed them.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Legolas's company, as well as Drake, reached Rivendell the following morning without further mishaps.  
  
Drake, upon arriving, had decided to avoid talking to anyone. However, when she was posted in a tree near Legolas's rooms that night, she was spotted by a keen-eyed Man. She knew him to be Aragorn, son of Arathorn, for he and Mithrandir had brought the creature Gollum to Mirkwood.  
  
Aragorn was, needless to say, startled at the sight of a female Elf, clad in full armor and armed with a sword, in a tree. But something seemed familiar about this Elf.  
  
"Do I know you?" he asked, studying her face.  
  
"I am King Thranduil of Mirkwood's bodyguard," she answered. "Why are you out so late, my lord?"  
  
"Ah, now I remember!" Aragorn exclaimed. "I should be asking you that question, Drake. Why are you so far from Mirkwood?"  
  
"King Thranduil sent me to keep his son out of trouble," she replied, gesturing toward Legolas's rooms. "But the prince doesn't know I'm here, and neither I nor King Thranduil wants him to know."  
  
Aragorn nodded. "I'll keep it a secret then," he said, and left.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The Council of Elrond was held the next day. After following Legolas at a safe distance, Drake took the place of the guard at the door of the Council Room. She strained her ears, trying to make sense of the mutters, but the walls were too thick.  
  
Suddenly, a sound of pattering feet came down the hall. Drake looked around, but couldn't see anyone. She looked again, frowning, puzzled, but then she shrugged and settled against the wall.  
  
"Excuse me!" shouted a small voice near Drake's waist. The Elf jumped nearly a foot in the air before looking down to discover a hobbit lass glaring at her out of strangely purple eyes, her golden curls bobbing as she tapped her foot impatiently. Her green frock was spattered with mud and her bare, furry feet were encrusted with it.  
  
"What on Middle-Earth are you doing here?" asked Drake incredulously.  
  
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A/N: Oooh, a cliffhanger! Well, something like it. Who is this hobbit? Is she friendly or hostile? You'll have to review before you can find out! 


	3. The Fellowship of Nine, Plus Two

Disclaimer: I own Drake, Amy, and Celeb'loki. Everything else belongs to Tolkien.  
  
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Chapter II - The Fellowship of Nine, Plus Two  
  
Drake crouched in front of the hobbit, studying her. The hobbit shifted uncomfortably under the green-gold gaze.  
  
"So," muttered Drake, "who are you, and why are you here?"  
  
"My name is Amaranth Took," the hobbit answered, scowling. "I'm here because my cousin is here, and I followed him. The boys always have all the adventures...." She trailed off, still scowling.  
  
"Your cousin would be the one who Mithrandir refers to as 'Fool of a Took?'"  
  
Amaranth gave Drake a blank look. "Mithrandir?"  
  
"Gandalf," Drake told her, smiling. She had forgotten that the hobbits of the Shire knew the old wizard by a different name than did the Elves.  
  
"Oh! Yes, that's Pippin," Amaranth replied, grinning. "He's always getting into trouble. Why are you here?" She glanced at Drake's armor. "I didn't know female Elves were warriors, too."  
  
"They aren't usually," Drake said, chuckling, "but I'm King Thranduil's bodyguard - Thranduil's the King of Mirkwood - and he sent me to keep an eye on his son." She jerked a thumb toward the Council Room. "My name's Dracoriel Ithilnor - that would be Moonfire in the Common Speech - but you can call me Drake."  
  
"Frodo's Uncle Bilbo went to Mirkwood!" exclaimed the hobbit. But he told us that the Elves locked up his friends the Dwarves, and they had to escape in barrels." She giggled.  
  
"You know Bilbo Baggins?" Drake asked, surprised.  
  
"Yup. He lives here now, in Rivendell, and he's at the Council. How do you know him?"  
  
"It's true about the Elves imprisoning the Dwarves, but Thranduil's just very paranoid. I helped them escape, and sent them down the river in barrels." Drake laughed, but then her face darkened. "But if I'd known what their mission was, I would have personally shut every Dwarf, and the hobbit, into a deeper, darker dungeon."  
  
Amaranth looked puzzled. "Their mission was to destroy the dragon Smaug, and to take the Dwarves' treasure back," she said slowly. "I would think that that would seem a noble quest to an Elf. Elves despise dragons."  
  
"All but one," muttered Drake.  
  
Suddenly, the low voices coming from the Council Room were raised in anger, and Drake leapt to her feet, listening intently. The word "ring" was repeated several times, but everything else was lost in the jumble of voices. Then a small voice, reminding Drake of Bilbo's, shouted "I will take it!" and the angry voices stopped. A few voices spoke again, one by one, and Drake thought she heard Legolas's among them.  
  
Then came a scraping of chairs, and the Council was ended.  
  
Drake pushed Amaranth behind her and stepped to the side as the door of the Council Room opened. The Council members filed out, led by Elrond. Drake watched as Elves, Men, Dwarves, and a single hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins passed. The last nine were an odd assortment - Mithrandir, four more hobbits (whom Amaranth identified as Bilbo's young cousin Frodo, Frodo's gardener Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and her cousin Pippin Took), a dwarf, Aragorn, another man, and Legolas. These nine were talking among themselves, though Legolas and the Dwarf (who was the son of one of Bilbo's Dwarven companions) were pointedly ignoring each other, but Aragorn saw Drake and winked at her.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Hours later, Drake was once again stationed in her tree. Amaranth, who had asked Drake to call her "Amy," was sleeping at the tree's base. She had washed, and was dressed in some clothing Drake had "borrowed" from Pippin's room.  
  
Aragorn was again wandering the grounds. Drake called to him, and he came over to her.  
  
"What happened at the Council?" she asked, leaning out of her tree.  
  
Aragorn told her of the finding of the One Ring, and of the forming of the Fellowship of the Ring. Upon hearing that Legolas was part of this Fellowship, Drake sighed. She had thought that Legolas would return to Mirkwood after the Council, and that she would as well.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
About a week before the Fellowship was to leave Rivendell, the Elf lord Glorfindel discovered Drake and Amy, and insisted that they sleep inside. He had apparently noticed Loki in the stables when tending to his own horse, Asfaloth. Drake accepted the rooms he offered them only after Glorfindel swore that he would tell no one, especially Legolas, that she was there.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The day the Fellowship left, Glorfindel brought some provisions for the journey to Drake. She was in the stable, tending to Loki. She had decided to go by foot, as the nine members of the Fellowship were, leaving Loki in Glorfindel's care  
  
"Here," said Glorfindel, handing a small knapsack to Drake. "There's enough in there for a week or so, if the hobbit doesn't eat the six meals a day she's probably used to."  
  
Drake grinned. "Don't worry. I won't let her eat it all. Hanno le. Namarië."  
  
Then she turned, embraced Loki one last time, and left Rivendell with Amy at her heels.  
  
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A/N: Ah, another chapter come and gone. Hanno le (thank you) to everyone who's reviewed! For the rest of you, here's the chance to redeem yourselves. *points toward the Review button* 


	4. Into the Mines

GF: I would like to take this opportunity to introduce my personal muse, Donovan. For you strange people like me who are fans of both LotR and Yu- Gi-Oh!, Donovan is also known as the Serpent Night Dragon. I'll be writing his story soon, and he'll be doing my disclaimers for me. Donovan?  
  
Donovan: Do I have to?  
  
GF: Yes! Do it or I won't write your story!  
  
Donovan: *grumbles* GriffinFire doesn't own LotR, but she owns Drake, Amy, Celeb'loki, and me. You happy now, Griffin?  
  
GF: *nods* And a note to a certain reviewer: Cestari, I am a Legolas fangirl myself, but I wanted Drake to not like Legolas much at the beginning. Don't worry, her opinion of him will change by the end of the story.  
  
Donovan: Which will be up in about two million years....  
  
GF: *glares* On with the fic!  
  
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Chapter III - Into the Mines  
  
A few days after leaving Rivendell, the Fellowship was attempting to make their way over the Misty Mountains. The snow on Caradhras was thick and deep. Aragorn and the other man, whom Drake had learned was Boromir, the son of the steward of Gondor, were forcing a path through the drift for Mithrandir, the four hobbits, and Gimli. Legolas was running ahead - on top of the snow - to scout out what lay ahead.  
  
Drake - also walking on top of the snow - had Amy clinging to her back, and stayed a safe distance behind the company.  
  
Even as the two men broke through the last of the snowdrift, the wind roared anew and a fierce blizzard flew upon the Fellowship.  
  
Drake shivered and wrapped herself and Amy tighter in her fur cloak. She burrowed down into the snow as the nine walkers turned back the way they had come, defeated by the mountain.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The Fellowship camped that night in a small wood at the base of Caradhras. Amy learned, through eavesdropping, that the company would be traveling under the mountain, through the Mines of Moria, instead of over it.  
  
Drake frowned when she heard this. "They must be desperate indeed," she thought, "If they are willing to risk going through Moria." She knew that the Dwarves had delved too deep there, and had awakened an ancient evil, but what this evil she was she had no idea.  
  
Suddenly, the howling of many wolves ripped through the silence of the night. Drake and Amy jumped to their feet, as did the Fellowship.  
  
"Wargs," Drake muttered.  
  
Amy's eyes widened in surprise and fear. She obviously hadn't counted on real danger when she followed her cousin out of the Shire.  
  
Drake drew her bow, picked up Amy, and pushed her upwards into a tree. She then pulled herself into the pine branches. An ironic grin spread across her face as she remembered something Bilbo had told her when he and his Dwarven companions had been in the dungeons of the Wood-Elves. He had once been in this same predicament - up a tree surrounded by wolves.  
  
The Wargs moved in from all sides, but they took no notice of the two in the tree and headed straight for the Fellowship.  
  
Drake slowly drew an arrow and fitted it to her bow. She peered down and aimed at a wolf directly beneath her.  
  
When the nine companions began swinging swords and shooting arrows and fireballs, Drake loosed her own arrow.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
It didn't take long to get rid of the Wargs. After the leaders had been killed, the rest turned tail and fled.  
  
Drake settled against the trunk of the tree and looked up at Amy. The young hobbit was clinging to a branch, both her arms and her legs wrapped around it. Her eyes were shut tightly.  
  
"The Wargs are gone," Drake told her.  
  
"Th-that's n-n-nice," stuttered Amy. "Can we g-get down now?"  
  
"Not yet," Drake muttered back. The nine walkers were still peering warily into the forest, looking for Wargs.  
  
The company finally settled down for the night, leaving Aragorn to take the first watch. Drake pried Amy off of her branch and lowered her gently to the forest floor, where she collapsed in a heap and proceeded to kiss the ground. The Elf dropped out of the tree herself and made her way toward Aragorn.  
  
Isildur's heir jumped and began to draw his sword as Drake entered the circle of firelight, but then he grinned and greeted her. "So you're still following us."  
  
"Of course. You didn't think I'd go back to Mirkwood and tell Thranduil that his son went on a dangerous mission to Mordor and I didn't follow him, did you? I just wanted to let you know I'm here, so you don't mistake me for an orc and kill me by accident."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The next evening, the company approached the Walls of Moria. When the Moon appeared, the Doors of Moria were revealed. Mithrandir read the inscription aloud, and then began to chant spells and incantations, trying to open the doors.  
  
Merry and Pippin soon became bored and tried to skip rocks on the surface of the stagnant pool before the Doors.  
  
Drake frowned worriedly, for she thought she saw the pool's surface ripple where no stone had been thrown.  
  
A sudden laugh came from Mithrandir - he had discovered the secret of the Doors. The wizard cried "Mellon!" and the doors opened.  
  
Even as Drake sighed in relief and the Nine Walkers entered Moria, a slimy tentacle slithered its way out of the pool and wrapped itself around the ankle of Frodo, the Ringbearer. It yanked the hobbit off his feet and into the air.  
  
Frodo yelled, and the rest of the Fellowship turned and ran back out through the Doors. Those with swords - including Drake, who was unnoticed in the confusion - hacked at the tentacle, and Legolas shot arrows at the body that was rising out of the water. More tentacles groped forward to fend off the swords, but Aragorn chopped through the tentacle holding Frodo. The hobbit fell and was caught by Boromir.  
  
The company, followed by Drake and Amy, sprinted for the Doors. Mithrandir counted them as they went thought.  
  
"One, two...five...eight, nine ten! Wait a minute..." He frowned, but followed the others as tentacles wriggled in and pulled rocks down, sealing the entrance and trapping the Fellowship.  
  
In the ensuing darkness, Drake and Amy hid themselves among fallen stones.  
  
Mithrandir lit his staff and again counted the Fellowship, this time getting the "correct" number of eight, plus himself.  
  
The nine companions started forward into the long dark of Moria, the two trackers behind them, but always in the shadows.  
  
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GF: Well then, that's it for now. The next chapter will be up in a couple days, but I haven't written anything after that yet, so that might take a while.  
  
Donovan: Aren't you forgetting to thank someone?  
  
GF: Oh, yeah! Thanks to my sister, Millennium Slinky, for typing this for me, as well as advertising for me. Read her Yu-Gi-Oh! story "Daughter of Anubis." Please review! We live on reviews! If we don't get reviews, we die! *Kicks Donovan in the shins* See? *points*  
  
Donovan: *falls* I'm gonna kill you....  
  
GF: So go on, just hit that nice little button. 


	5. Arrows in the Dark

GF: Well, here we are again! Go on, Donovan.  
  
Donovan: GriffinFire doesn't own LotR, but she does own Drake, Amy, Celeb'loki, and obviously me.  
  
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Chapter IV - Arrows in the Dark  
  
The Elf and the hobbit behind the Fellowship made as little noise as possible, but Legolas seemed to hear them anyway, as he kept spinning around and eyeing the shadows warily.  
  
When the Nine Walkers stopped for the night at a junction of three passageways, Drake and Amy settled into the rocks just beyond.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
In the middle of the night, Drake was awoken by a scuffling of feet. She rose and silently crept toward the Fellowship's camp. She found Mithrandir on guard. His staff was lit and he was contemplating the three passageways, trying to remember which one they were supposed to take.  
  
Just as Drake was about to return to where Amy was sleeping, a glint of metal caught her eye. It came from above, on a rocky shelf. Drake peered closer and the glint became an arrow, held to a bow by a man cloaked in black, and aimed directly at the silver-blond head of Legolas Greenleaf.  
  
Fear coursed through Drake's body, and she swore quietly to herself in Elvish. She drew her sword and slowly inched towards the other Elf, ready to defend him with her life.  
  
The assassin, focused entirely on his prey, didn't notice Drake. He loosed the arrow and grinned in triumph as it sped towards it mark.  
  
The deadly shaft was mere feet from the Elf prince's head when Drake leaped forward. She flung her left arm into the arrow's path and launched her sword upward at the cloaked man with her right.  
  
The arrow hit Drake's arm, but bounced off of the mail and fell to the ground.  
  
Drake's sword impaled the assassin through the chest, and he had time for only one agonized scream before he died.  
  
The scream woke every member of the Fellowship. Those with weapons drew them, and all searched for the source of the scream. Drake had already disappeared.  
  
"There!" cried Pippin, pointing and backing away from the gory sight of the assassin pinned to the wall like a bug. All of the companions turned to look, and each face was filled with horror and disgust.  
  
"Here is a strange riddle," murmured Boromir, finding the assassin's arrow. "It seems that the cloaked man shot this arrow at one of us, but the arrow was stopped and the man killed by someone. But none of us were awake except for Gandalf, and he is as puzzled as any of us."  
  
"Indeed," replied the wizard. "But there may be more than one of these cloaked men, and surely this was an enemy. We should leave now."  
  
Drake and Amy broke camp as the Fellowship did the same. The Elf carefully made note of which passageway Mithrandir took the other eight down before retrieving her sword.  
  
As she wiped the blade on the assassin's cloak, Drake inspected his face. It was a Man's face, but with orcish features - not entirely human.  
  
But she had no time to puzzle over this. She sheathed her sword and set off after the Fellowship, Amy close behind.  
  
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GF: Sorry about the short chapter, but that's all we needed here. See you in a bit!  
  
Donovan: *mumbling* Like a century from now...  
  
GF: Hey! I'll get it written soon, I promise! Review, or I'll sic Donovan on you! And I'll give him a sword, too! 


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